The Marsh Creek watershed is located in Sandy Springs, Georgia. It's headwaters are in a single-family, light residential area, winding its way down through many urbanized areas to the mouth as it flows into the Chattahoochee River just upstream of the Johnson's Ferry Bridge. This watershed is a small part of the Upper Chattahoochee Watershed, which is the major watershed of metro Atlanta. Over a span of six weeks, we conducted a watershed assessment in six different locations along the stream from the headwaters to the mouth, conducting different physical, chemical, and bacterial testing. In doing so, we observed some useful data that will be helpful for current and future research on the overall health of the watershed. Our study showed that after a heavy rainfall there was a drastically increased level of E. coli in the stream.
This is most likely caused by the high levels of impervious surfaces that are located within the watershed causing a large amount of non-point source pollution. Also, we observed at every site low levels of dissolved minerals seen from low conductivity levels, in accordance with the US EPA standards. In short, this indicates that the stream is not inductive to high levels of biodiversity. Another observation made at all of the sites along this stream was that erosion is heavily affecting the water and tree quality. It is causing sediment deposition into the water and major root exposure on many of the trees on the streams edge. The other testing results shown were in-line with those found in urban streams in Georgia. The quality of the streams can be improved through education to the community, constant monitoring, feedback, and some effort in performing stream restorations.
Long Island Creek Watershed Concluding Thoughts
The Long Island Creek Watershed is a smaller watershed under the larger Upper Chattahoochee Watershed, the major watershed for metro Atlanta. Through the rapid growth of urbanization, the increase in impervious surfaces has decreased the overall quality of the streams in the watershed. By monitoring and reporting anomalies from this watershed and that of other creeks that create the Upper Chattahoochee watershed, we can greatly improve the overall quality. We conducted our research of the Long Island Creek watershed over a span of 6 weeks and obtained a great deal of useful information that helped us understand the overall health of the watershed. In our research on Long Island Creek, we determined in our bacterial testing that after a heavy rainfall there was an increased level of coliform and E. coli levels. Even with the increased levels of bacterial readings, pH levels were constant throughout the study and the DO levels were calculated at normal levels throughout the creek. The other tests we conducted were relatively normal for the conditions. The increased levels of E. coli after a heavy rainfall can be caused by numerous of instances of non-point source pollution. While E coli results indicated slightly lower levels this year as compared to last, the stream still can not be classified as a "designated swimming area" by US EPA standards.
Watershed Analysis Conclusion
The general understanding that an increase in impervious surfaces creating more runoff which in turn creates more non-point source pollution is an oversimplification. Our studies show that the issue in analyzing urbanization of streams is much more complex. Several factors must also be considered in analyzing and determining impact of stream health. More robust satellite imagery yields a better view of the planets surface. Differing patterns and quantities of trees and other vegetation from year to year impact analysis in that possible impervious surfaces are covered in vegetation and therefore are inaccurately classified. In this same vein, time of year impacts images obtained on which remote sensing analysis is based. More robust satellite imagery will provide more accurate classification of urban land use.
Our study was in agreement that both Marsh Creek and Long Island Creeks are accurately categorized as "impaired".
Watershed Suggestions
In order to provide environmental compensation for urban impact on streams, it’s important to remember that each member of the community plays a role in the local stream’s health. From being cognizant of the impact of what we put on our lawns, to cleaning up after pets, to being careful to correctly recycle or dispose of household products—cooking oils, chemicals, etc.--- everything contributes to our impact on streams. When viewed as an aggregate, even small things add up to huge environmental savings.
Soil erosion caused by run-off which in turn is caused by an ever-increasing amount of impervious surface is a major problem for streams. Efforts to reduce or slow run-off are key; plants are a big component of this effort. If indigenous plants can be re-populated to stream banks and to areas of major runoff, their root systems bind the soil in place in addition to naturally reducing the speed of runoff toward the stream, allowing time for more water to be absorbed by the soil. A wise selection of plants is also important; selecting non-invasive, indigenous plants is best. When selecting which plants to use for a given setting, components to include are light levels, water requirements, etc which can be attained from the Fulton County Cooperative Extension Service, which works in conjunction with the University of Georgia, to provide information on horticulture to the communities it serves.
Educating elementary aged children in the best practices for stream conservation in order to preserve, maintain, and hopefully improve streams can be monumental from a return on investment perspective. Not only will the seeds of conservation be earlier germinated, but education is also transferred back toward parents who can make the most impact today. Involvement in local Adopt-A-Stream programs as class projects, encouraging schools to invite experts in to talk about stream health via classes about earth sciences, geography, geology, biology or any other subject could be used to communicate the importance of water conservation and wise land use. One such program titled "Project Wet" was a culmination of a multi-state effort to develop water based curriculum whose mission is to teach children, parents, educators, and communities about water conservation and has been implemented around the world. The Project Wet website can be found at http://www.Projectwet.org.
Red flags
We strongly suggest the investigation of the constantly turbid water and high E coli. counts at Marsh Creek sites 2 and 6. The leak at site 2 appears to be especially significant as the pipe runs with and inside of the water in the stream for some time. Apart from alarmingly high levels of E. coli found, there were noticeably high levels of biomass (chlorophyll, etc) seen directly after site 2. This is very unusual for a body of water that is moving and indicates some usual type of event including, but not limited to a sewage leak. Also, there is a sewage pipe that runs perpendicular to the stream at site 6, which is also probably leaking. The water seen upstream from the pipe is significantly more clear and less turbid than the water seen downstream of the pipe (this is where water teasing was preformed).
Another suggestion that we strongly advise is some type of intervention that will slow the erosion problems. At every site observed the erosion problems were having a huge impact on the health of the stream. The erosion is causing some soil deposition into the water, increased width of the stream causing it to become more shallow, and severely exposed roots in some of the trees by the waterside. Although erosion is a cycle in nature, this could lead to problems in road infrastructure if not properly dealt with and also could affect bordering yards in residential areas causing decreased property area and possibly decreased property value. The sooner this problem is faced, the easier the problem will be to fix.
In the future
As is the case in almost any scientific study, changes can always be made in order to improve the study and make it both more accurate and relevant. One change that could be made is using more more accurate testing tools. For example, using an electric probe for testing dissolved Oxygen levels would be more accurate than the current method of titration, which can be inaccurate due to varying sized drops of chemicals and can be qualitative rather than quantitative due to different perceptions in color change. Also, a more accurate agar could be used for inoculating the water samples when testing for coliform because some of the TNTC values could then be given a numerical value. Another relatively simple change that could be made is that all of the sites could have fish studies done in order to better gauge the biological health of the stream system; this would allow a more comprehensive picture of the streams both past and present health.
Some new testing and programs could be implemented in order to broaden the perspectives and data we are collecting to better indicate stream health. One such test would be soil analysis which would allow us to better pinpoint the entrance of contaminants to the stream; if they are coming from upstream or from the water running off from the surrounding soil.
Continued Watershed Analysis course offerings will provide a more constant flow of data from the two watersheds. Once enough data is collected a more statistical analysis can be preformed. More consistent monitoring is also key in quickly identifying situations which can be corrected by county or city environmental departments. Another suggested educational program that could improve this class and watershed analysis throughout the state would be for KSU to join with other colleges and universities in order to get a more holistic picture of what is happening to the watersheds, streams and rivers of our state. Trends in occurrences could be tracked in order to create a history of incidents and monitor total stream and river impact and health over time.
Marsh Creek Watershed Concluding Thoughts
The Marsh Creek watershed is located in Sandy Springs, Georgia. It's headwaters are in a single-family, light residential area, winding its way down through many urbanized areas to the mouth as it flows into the Chattahoochee River just upstream of the Johnson's Ferry Bridge. This watershed is a small part of the Upper Chattahoochee Watershed, which is the major watershed of metro Atlanta. Over a span of six weeks, we conducted a watershed assessment in six different locations along the stream from the headwaters to the mouth, conducting different physical, chemical, and bacterial testing. In doing so, we observed some useful data that will be helpful for current and future research on the overall health of the watershed. Our study showed that after a heavy rainfall there was a drastically increased level of E. coli in the stream.
This is most likely caused by the high levels of impervious surfaces that are located within the watershed causing a large amount of non-point source pollution. Also, we observed at every site low levels of dissolved minerals seen from low conductivity levels, in accordance with the US EPA standards. In short, this indicates that the stream is not inductive to high levels of biodiversity. Another observation made at all of the sites along this stream was that erosion is heavily affecting the water and tree quality. It is causing sediment deposition into the water and major root exposure on many of the trees on the streams edge. The other testing results shown were in-line with those found in urban streams in Georgia. The quality of the streams can be improved through education to the community, constant monitoring, feedback, and some effort in performing stream restorations.
Long Island Creek Watershed Concluding Thoughts
The Long Island Creek Watershed is a smaller watershed under the larger Upper Chattahoochee Watershed, the major watershed for metro Atlanta. Through the rapid growth of urbanization, the increase in impervious surfaces has decreased the overall quality of the streams in the watershed. By monitoring and reporting anomalies from this watershed and that of other creeks that create the Upper Chattahoochee watershed, we can greatly improve the overall quality. We conducted our research of the Long Island Creek watershed over a span of 6 weeks and obtained a great deal of useful information that helped us understand the overall health of the watershed. In our research on Long Island Creek, we determined in our bacterial testing that after a heavy rainfall there was an increased level of coliform and E. coli levels. Even with the increased levels of bacterial readings, pH levels were constant throughout the study and the DO levels were calculated at normal levels throughout the creek. The other tests we conducted were relatively normal for the conditions. The increased levels of E. coli after a heavy rainfall can be caused by numerous of instances of non-point source pollution. While E coli results indicated slightly lower levels this year as compared to last, the stream still can not be classified as a "designated swimming area" by US EPA standards.
Watershed Analysis Conclusion
The general understanding that an increase in impervious surfaces creating more runoff which in turn creates more non-point source pollution is an oversimplification. Our studies show that the issue in analyzing urbanization of streams is much more complex. Several factors must also be considered in analyzing and determining impact of stream health. More robust satellite imagery yields a better view of the planets surface. Differing patterns and quantities of trees and other vegetation from year to year impact analysis in that possible impervious surfaces are covered in vegetation and therefore are inaccurately classified. In this same vein, time of year impacts images obtained on which remote sensing analysis is based. More robust satellite imagery will provide more accurate classification of urban land use.Our study was in agreement that both Marsh Creek and Long Island Creeks are accurately categorized as "impaired".
Watershed Suggestions
In order to provide environmental compensation for urban impact on streams, it’s important to remember that each member of the community plays a role in the local stream’s health. From being cognizant of the impact of what we put on our lawns, to cleaning up after pets, to being careful to correctly recycle or dispose of household products—cooking oils, chemicals, etc.--- everything contributes to our impact on streams. When viewed as an aggregate, even small things add up to huge environmental savings.Soil erosion caused by run-off which in turn is caused by an ever-increasing amount of impervious surface is a major problem for streams. Efforts to reduce or slow run-off are key; plants are a big component of this effort. If indigenous plants can be re-populated to stream banks and to areas of major runoff, their root systems bind the soil in place in addition to naturally reducing the speed of runoff toward the stream, allowing time for more water to be absorbed by the soil. A wise selection of plants is also important; selecting non-invasive, indigenous plants is best. When selecting which plants to use for a given setting, components to include are light levels, water requirements, etc which can be attained from the Fulton County Cooperative Extension Service, which works in conjunction with the University of Georgia, to provide information on horticulture to the communities it serves.
Educating elementary aged children in the best practices for stream conservation in order to preserve, maintain, and hopefully improve streams can be monumental from a return on investment perspective. Not only will the seeds of conservation be earlier germinated, but education is also transferred back toward parents who can make the most impact today. Involvement in local Adopt-A-Stream programs as class projects, encouraging schools to invite experts in to talk about stream health via classes about earth sciences, geography, geology, biology or any other subject could be used to communicate the importance of water conservation and wise land use. One such program titled "Project Wet" was a culmination of a multi-state effort to develop water based curriculum whose mission is to teach children, parents, educators, and communities about water conservation and has been implemented around the world. The Project Wet website can be found at http://www.Projectwet.org.
Red flags
We strongly suggest the investigation of the constantly turbid water and high E coli. counts at Marsh Creek sites 2 and 6. The leak at site 2 appears to be especially significant as the pipe runs with and inside of the water in the stream for some time. Apart from alarmingly high levels of E. coli found, there were noticeably high levels of biomass (chlorophyll, etc) seen directly after site 2. This is very unusual for a body of water that is moving and indicates some usual type of event including, but not limited to a sewage leak. Also, there is a sewage pipe that runs perpendicular to the stream at site 6, which is also probably leaking. The water seen upstream from the pipe is significantly more clear and less turbid than the water seen downstream of the pipe (this is where water teasing was preformed).Another suggestion that we strongly advise is some type of intervention that will slow the erosion problems. At every site observed the erosion problems were having a huge impact on the health of the stream. The erosion is causing some soil deposition into the water, increased width of the stream causing it to become more shallow, and severely exposed roots in some of the trees by the waterside. Although erosion is a cycle in nature, this could lead to problems in road infrastructure if not properly dealt with and also could affect bordering yards in residential areas causing decreased property area and possibly decreased property value. The sooner this problem is faced, the easier the problem will be to fix.
In the future
As is the case in almost any scientific study, changes can always be made in order to improve the study and make it both more accurate and relevant. One change that could be made is using more more accurate testing tools. For example, using an electric probe for testing dissolved Oxygen levels would be more accurate than the current method of titration, which can be inaccurate due to varying sized drops of chemicals and can be qualitative rather than quantitative due to different perceptions in color change. Also, a more accurate agar could be used for inoculating the water samples when testing for coliform because some of the TNTC values could then be given a numerical value. Another relatively simple change that could be made is that all of the sites could have fish studies done in order to better gauge the biological health of the stream system; this would allow a more comprehensive picture of the streams both past and present health.Some new testing and programs could be implemented in order to broaden the perspectives and data we are collecting to better indicate stream health. One such test would be soil analysis which would allow us to better pinpoint the entrance of contaminants to the stream; if they are coming from upstream or from the water running off from the surrounding soil.
Continued Watershed Analysis course offerings will provide a more constant flow of data from the two watersheds. Once enough data is collected a more statistical analysis can be preformed. More consistent monitoring is also key in quickly identifying situations which can be corrected by county or city environmental departments. Another suggested educational program that could improve this class and watershed analysis throughout the state would be for KSU to join with other colleges and universities in order to get a more holistic picture of what is happening to the watersheds, streams and rivers of our state. Trends in occurrences could be tracked in order to create a history of incidents and monitor total stream and river impact and health over time.
Introduction | Stakeholders | Water Quality | Urban Ecology | Land Use Mapping | Study Sites | Methods | Results | Conclusions